Why has there Been a PBL Explosion?
Why, then, has PBL achieved its current success and will the PBL phenomenon last long enough to become the new “traditional” way of educating medical students? I think there are a number of reasons why the use of PBL is growing so exponentially. In many ways, PBL was the right response for the time in which it gained a foothold in medical schools, when one considers the questions which were being raised at the time about problems with traditional medical curricula. Many of these problems seemed resolvable with a shift to a PBL format. For example, faculty who want students to learn, to remember, to apply, and to continue to learn once out from under their tutelage have, under the “traditional” format, often been disappointed. Too many students memorize, forget, fail to apply or integrate knowledge, and resist further learning. Problem-based learning curricula seem to foster the more positive attributes of learning in students. Positive attitudes toward learning have been noted as chara
